A disastrous late turnover by Jalen Brunson sealed the season for the New York Knicks in a 96-92 loss in Game 6 on Friday to the Miami Heat.
With the Knicks down 92-90 with 16.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Bronson made an ill-advised pass that ended up in the hands of Kyle Lowry, bringing an end to the team’s stellar playoff run.
Despite finishing the night with 41 points, Bronson’s blunder in the game and season on the streak is what many remember. The 26-year-old was a warrior throughout the series against Miami, however, averaging 31 points across the six games.
New York trailed for most of the second half of Game 6 and found themselves down by six points with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter. As the officials ruled Gabe Vincent’s accidental elbow to Bronson’s jaw was a flagrant foul, the Knicks had the opportunity to return to the game in earnest.
Bronson drained both free throws from a flagrant error and a Josh Hart layup fell on the ensuing possession, cutting the Heat’s lead to just a basket, 92-90.
The Knicks defense forced a hard miss on Jimmy Butler on the other end, but Brunson’s poor late decision ended any hope of a comeback.
For the Heat, Butler and quarterback Bam Adebayo led the way, with the former finishing with 24 points, eight boards and four assists, and the latter notching 23 points and nine rebounds.
Butler was the catalyst for Miami’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals. After his 24-point performance on Friday, he became the first player in Heat franchise history to average 30 points over his first 10 postseason games, per game. ESPN stats and info.
With the Game 6 win, it’s just the Heat second The eighth seed reaches the Conference Finals, joining the 1999 New York Knicks (who eventually lost the title in five games to the San Antonio Spurs).
Incredibly, the Heat is now just four wins away from the NBA Finals. Miami will face the winner of Sunday’s game seven between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics.
Game 1 of the Conference Finals will be on Wednesday at 8:30 PM ET in Boston or Philadelphia.